105
Free national fault line
Free, 24/7
SSEN
Your DNO
serves West Sussex
10+
towns covered
incl. Crawley, Worthing, Chichester
£95 to £390
Ofgem compensation
for a long unplanned cut
Live outage map for West Sussex
The map shows incidents reported by users in real time, centred on West Sussex. Zoom in on your street to check whether a cut is your home only or a wider network fault — when neighbours are also dark, it is a SSEN job.
South Downs chalk in the south, the High Weald in the north, and the coastal plain from Worthing to Selsey. Channel storms hit Selsey and the Manhood peninsula; summer storms on the South Downs bring localised cuts at Storrington and Pulborough.
Live Power Outages in the UK
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Reports across West Sussex
Logged by residents of the county in the last 24 hours.
Copthorne
Cut now resolved affecting the town, 4 resident reports.
Report a power cut in West Sussex
Seeing a cut the map hasn't caught yet? Add it in seconds. Your report is anonymous and appears on the live map above so neighbours in West Sussex know what's going on.
Thank you. Your report has been submitted and will help others in West Sussex.
Reports are anonymous. We use your address to place the marker on the map and never display your personal details.
Power cuts by town in West Sussex
Pick your town for local outage reports, the live map and your network operator's fault line.
Your village is not on the list? West Sussex has far more settlements than we hold pages for, and they all sit on the same SSEN network: the number to call is the same 105, and the live map above covers the whole county — zoom in on your postcode. For a street-level answer on a hamlet, enter your full postcode in the SSEN Power Track.
Why the power goes out in West Sussex
West Sussex sits inside SSEN's Southern licence, from Gatwick and Crawley in the north down to Chichester and Bognor on the Channel coast. South Downs chalk in the south, the High Weald in the north, and the coastal plain from Worthing to Selsey.
Weather and terrain. Channel storms hit Selsey and the Manhood peninsula; summer storms on the South Downs bring localised cuts at Storrington and Pulborough.
How the network is run. SSEN depots at Crawley, Worthing and Chichester dispatch engineers. Gatwick Airport has dedicated supply with multiple redundant intakes.
A local quirk worth knowing. Selsey peninsula sits on a long single-feeder spur — Selsey Bill outages can be lengthy because there is no easy alternative route in.
What to do when the power goes out at home in West Sussex
Check whether neighbours are affected
Look at the street lights and the houses opposite. If they're on, your fault is inside your home — check the consumer unit. If they're out too, it is a SSEN network fault: call 105.
Dial 105
Have your full postcode ready. Ask the operator for an estimated time of restoration (ETR) and a fault reference number — both make any later compensation claim faster.
Unplug sensitive electronics
Unplug TVs, routers, computers and consoles to protect them from a surge when supply returns. Leave one light switched on so you'll know visually when the power is back.
Log start and end times
Under Ofgem's Guaranteed Standards, a fault affecting fewer than 5,000 properties entitles a household to £95 once the supply has been off for more than 12 hours (24 hours for a larger fault), then £45 for each further 12 hours, capped at £390. Storms use a separate scale: £85 plus £45 every 6 hours, capped at £2,165. Keep a written log with photos — SSEN normally pays automatically.
The Selectra expert answers your questions on power cuts in West Sussex
Always to your Distribution Network Operator, not your supplier. In West Sussex that is SSEN. Dial 105 (Free national fault line) — free, 24/7.
Channel storms hit Selsey and the Manhood peninsula; summer storms on the South Downs bring localised cuts at Storrington and Pulborough. SSEN depots at Crawley, Worthing and Chichester dispatch engineers. Gatwick Airport has dedicated supply with multiple redundant intakes.
There is no county-wide average worth quoting: a fault on an urban underground cable is often back within an hour or two, while an overhead line down in open country after a storm can take most of a day. The number that matters is the estimated time of restoration (ETR) SSEN publishes for your specific fault — ask for it when you call 105, or read it off the SSEN Power Track after entering your postcode. Planned cuts are announced in advance and normally run 2 to 8 hours.
Yes, under Ofgem's Guaranteed Standards of Performance. Where the fault affected fewer than 5,000 properties — most street-level cuts in West Sussex — a domestic customer gets £95 once the supply has been off for more than 12 hours, then £45 for each further 12 hours, capped at £390. Where more than 5,000 properties lost supply, that first £95 applies after 24 hours. Businesses start at £190. Four or more cuts of three hours or longer in a single year earn an extra £95. Payment from SSEN is normally automatic.
SSEN announces planned cuts by letter (and increasingly text or email) 2 to 8 days in advance. Most run 8am to 6pm and last 2 to 8 hours. Planned cuts do not qualify for compensation unless your operator failed to give adequate notice.
Power cuts in nearby areas
Other counties close to West Sussex — useful if your storm or fault crosses council boundaries.
Surrey
SSEN
Berkshire
SSEN
Greater London
UK Power Networks
City of London
UK Power Networks
East Sussex
UK Power Networks
Hampshire
SSEN
Isle of Wight
SSEN
Hertfordshire
UK Power Networks
Other counties served by SSEN
Same operator, same emergency number, similar restoration patterns and compensation framework.